Hockey

Sweden, the defending Olympic champion, looks as if it could be a powerhouse again: solid in goal with Henrik Lundqvist, a deep defence anchored by Nicklas Lidstrom and a star-studded cast of scorers, including Henrik Zetterberg, Johan Franzen and - provided his knees hold up - Tomas Holmstrom.

One could argue the Detroit Red Wings and Vancouver Canucks could provide almost half the Swedish lineup. That familiarity may enhance their chances of developing chemistry in a hurry in a two-week tournament. Additionally, the Canucks' Swedish contingent - Henrik and Daniel Sedin, Mats Sundin (if he plays), plus defencemen Mattias Ohlund and Alexander Edler - will have the added benefit of playing in a familiar setting: GM Place, their NHL home away from home.

Sweden's general manager is former Montreal Canadiens star Mats Naslund; its head coach is Bengt-Ake Gustafsson. There's going to be some pressure on our team," Lidstrom acknowledged. "As the defending champions, we know teams are going to want to beat us, but there's going to be pressure on other teams as well, starting with Canada. It's going to be a tournament where a lot of teams are going to have a chance if your goaltender's playing well for you."

Sweden knows something about the ups and downs of Olympic fortune.
In 2002, it opened with a brilliant one-sided 5-1 victory over Canada, but were upset in the quarter-finals by Belarus on a quirky goal - a game that was viewed as a national tragedy.

Four years later in Turin, Sweden dropped an early game to Russia, but eventually became stronger as the tournament progressed and ultimately won the gold medal - its first since 1994 - against long-time rival Finland.

Sweden has won eight medals in Olympic play - two gold, two silver and four bronze.